Quote:
Originally Posted by wave46
I agree with your conclusion. Small towns by their nature have more limited opportunities, so unless you're content working in the industry they have to offer, you're kind of out of luck. Sure, there's a few professional-class positions but on the whole compared to a city the variety is peanuts.
It also depends what you're into. A small town isn't going to offer nightlife and entertainment options of a bigger city. So, unless you're into the outdoorsy thing your options will be quite limited there.
I think the culture of small towns is the product of this selection and that selection process tends to drive people who don't fit in there away.
It's also interesting to note how the link to little towns is broken through generations. The parents might be town lifers, but their children often move away for better opportunities. The link is completely severed with the grandchildren - the little town is just that weird place grandma and grandpa live. Unless there's something driving them back (and it has to be strong), it's a hard sale to get people to give up the amenities of a bigger city for a small town, especially one in the hinterland. I know - I've tried it.
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All of this is absolutely true which is why we MUST plan for shrinking cities especially those CA under 100k. Bigger doesn't always mean better just as smaller doesn't have to mean worse.
For those who think that we should just let our smaller centres rot and die a slow and painful death then don't come bitching to us when we continue to lose agricultural land as they build new subdivisions while the older neighbourhoods shrink, higher GHG emissions as transit becomes untenable with a smaller number of users but having to provide new service in low density sprawl, having to build new schools when others nearby are closing, losing precious land to big box stores and parking while downtown rots, the loss of heritage buildings due to non-usage, lamenting all the ugly towns that scar the landscape, and seeing the death of unique M&P stores for more Timmies.
Conversely, don't bitch when the traffic in the big cities grinds to a halt, schools are running over capacity , transit is inadequate and cannot keep up with the ever rising population, and housing is both unaffordable and unavailable.
Planning for smaller cities is not only good for the effected cities but also for the larger ones and infinitely better for the environment which urbanites claim to cherish.